NAMI Calls Supreme Court Decision a Step Forward—and a Sigh of Relief—for People with Mental Illness

Posted on June 25, 2015

ARLINGTON, Va., June 25, 2015 -- The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has issued the following statement by NAMI Executive Director Mary Giliberti on the U.S. Supreme Court decision today upholding the insurance mechanisms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

"The Supreme Court's decision in King v. Burwell is both a victory and a sigh of relief for millions of Americans, including people living with mental illness, who will be able to keep their health insurance.  

Loss of ACA health coverage insurance would have been devastating, indeed life-threatening for millions of individuals and families. In particular, equitable mental health coverage required under the law would have been lost.

What could have been a giant step backward is instead a giant step forward in building a health care system for the future, a system that must include mental health care.

There is still much work that needs to be done, including enforcement of mental health insurance parity under existing law and passage of comprehensive mental health care reform legislation to support recovery. With the issue of health insurance subsidies resolved, we must all now focus on meeting those important challenges."

About NAMI

NAMI is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness.

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